Displaced Gaza student tries to study despite destruction of universities

Shahed Abu Omar, 20, was in her third year studying computer science at Gaza’s Al Azhar University when it was reduced to rubble by Israel's military campaign in the Palestinian territory.

She is now one of 90,000 university students left stranded in a war with no end in sight that has damaged or destroyed all 12 of the higher education institutions in the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian official data.

However, Shahed is determined to keep studying, braving a perilous daily journey to reach a stable internet connection that allows her to learn online.

"We cannot go to our university or study away from it," she said, alluding to the difficulty of remote learning with such poor internet connection.

Perched in the rubble of a destroyed house, Shahed studies from her mobile phone. Her mother, Hanin Sarour, said they had come to the area to reach an internet connection. The connection, vital to downloading pre-recorded lectures and communicating with professors, was still weak, she said. “Every step is dangerous and difficult,” Hanin added.

Most of Shahed's professors are in the Gaza Strip as well, she said, facing the same difficulties their students do.

Shahed's final exams are in just two weeks. She fears she will only fall further behind. “I am sure we will lose more than the year that we’ve lost already,” she said.

She dreams of returning to university, sitting in a classroom, and meeting with professors and friends.

The war, now in its 11th month, has also interrupted education for Gaza’s estimated 625,000 school-aged children, leaving them unable to attend classes.

The uncertainty for Shahed and students across the small coastal enclave is likely to persist. Even after the war ends, students do not know when universities will reopen, she said.

Despite all the difficulties, Shahed will continue to study in the hopes of not losing a whole year. “We are trying to achieve something,” she said.